John Ager is a member of the Planning Board and co-facilitated the recent Central West Focus Area meetings. Here’s what he has to say: A fundamental challenge lies at the heart of the “Central West Focus Area” debate. This area contains some of the town’s oldest and loveliest neighborhoods. No one is surprised when the […]
All posts in category Housing
Table talk
Posted by Nancy Oates on October 15, 2012
http://chapelhillwatch.com/2012/10/15/table-talk/
Charterwood threepeat
The Charterwood project has all the buildup and letdown of a Barry White song. If you’re old enough, you remember the cadence – first the muttered low growl, then the music swells, and you’re sure he’s going to burst into song. But then, the music fades, and the growling and mumbling resume. Last night, Charterwood […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on September 13, 2012
http://chapelhillwatch.com/2012/09/13/charterwood-threepeat/
No vacancy?
Town Council holds its season opener this Wednesday, Sept. 12, and I can’t seem to rally the excitement I usually have for local politics. It’s not that the decisions council makes aren’t important – in fact, council members are set to vote once again on Charterwood, and the outcome could tip council’s hand for what […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on September 10, 2012
http://chapelhillwatch.com/2012/09/10/no-vacancy/
Room for all
I looked at the agenda for tonight’s Town Council meeting and got that same sort of funny feeling in my heart I got when I saw my first gray hair or when I realized my child had grown too big for me to pick up and carry. Time was moving on, and life would never […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on June 18, 2012
http://chapelhillwatch.com/2012/06/18/room-for-all/
Pile on the public hearings
Stock up on the popcorn. Tonight’s public hearing will likely be a two-bagger. First up, St. Paul’s AME Church wants to build a village on Purefoy Road, across from Phoenix Place, to serve the Rogers Road community. The proposed mixed-use development on a 20-acre parcel would consist of a church, a health center, a cultural […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on May 21, 2012
http://chapelhillwatch.com/2012/05/21/pile-on-the-public-hearings/
Timing
Gene Pease put it in a nutshell last night. In response to the concept plan review for Carolina Flats presented by Florida developer Russ Greer of Progressive Capital Group, Pease said, “Your timing is lousy.” After Greer and Scott Radway presented the “back of the envelope” plan, as Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt called it, and a […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on April 24, 2012
http://chapelhillwatch.com/2012/04/24/timing/
Sharp eye on Flats
I support smart growth in appropriate venues, a minority position among many of my peers. I’d like to be able to lobby for high-density projects, but when a developer seems to portray a project as something it isn’t and smacks down moderately priced housing for a half-mile stretch, that makes the task all the harder. […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on April 23, 2012
http://chapelhillwatch.com/2012/04/23/sharp-eye-on-flats/
Why not live here?
At last night’s Town Council meeting, town business management director Ken Pennoyer and a band of technology professionals waxed eloquent on the wonders of Gig U, the ultra-high-speed connectivity coming to town. Following the presentation that detailed ways the new service would improve our lives, Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt crowed, “Why doesn’t everyone want to live […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on March 20, 2012
http://chapelhillwatch.com/2012/03/20/why-not-live-here/
Landmark proposal
Brace yourself. In a couple of weeks, Town Council will once again consider a housing project marketed to students. Landmark Properties is on the March 19 agenda to present another plan for The Retreat, a university student residential neighborhood. Last year, Landmark appeared before council with a concept plan review, and council shot it down. […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on March 7, 2012
http://chapelhillwatch.com/2012/03/07/landmark-proposal/
Second chance for Charterwood
We can all agree: $4.3 million is a serious amount of money to invest and a foolish amount to gamble. Yet when developers go before Town Council with a development project, the money they spend to plan, present, readjust and repeat frequently comes down to the mood council members are in. The Charterwood developers, after […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on March 2, 2012
http://chapelhillwatch.com/2012/03/02/second-chance-for-charterwood/